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Iraqi forces practice life saving measures

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eric Summers
  • 447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq --  Members of the Iraqi Air Force and Army participated in a mass casualty exercise May 20 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

Iraqi forces from Al-Muthana, Camp Taji and New Al-Muthana demonstrated their abilities to assess and treat several types of conditions that may happen if they were to enter a combat enviroment.

"This training was medical evacuation and hands on skills in a joint environment," said Master Sgt. David Smith, Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission-Air Force. "Today we had them train on trauma patients with various injuries form burn wounds to airway blockage. This was also a chance for them to work on communication."

Sergeant Smith has been embedded with Iraqis at NAMAB since January and works with them on various medical issues from water treatment to self-aid and buddy care.

"We have been training with them since December 2009 and this was an evaluation of the past six months," said Col. Paul Doan, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group chief of aerospace medicine. "During the exercise we assessed their ability to do things systematically."

Trainings like these help ensure that the Iraqis are well trained as U.S. forces continue to drawdown to meet President Obama's drawdown requirements for the end of 2011.

"We are basically building a medical system from the ground up," said Sergeant Smith. "This training is important to them and they want their country to thrive."

Colonel Doan said, "We want to help them care for each other ... to teach them in advance the medical care they need for their job, and also be able to teach others."

"They have done better over the past six months, and they also did things they haven't done before. After a year here I know that we have come a long way," Sergeant Smith said.